High-intensity interval training is an intense cardio workout that involves rapid action of a cardio workout like running, stair climbing, or jumping rope for a brief period, followed by a short pause to let the body adjust itself, and then resume another round of intense cardio workout. HILT’s main purpose is to increase the heart rate to 80% of its maximum rate. Since 2014, HITLT has been gaining popularity because the exercise requires less time while offering the same health benefits as traditional workouts. HILT has opened the gate of opportunity for busy people doing much-needed cardio workouts. Let’s know more about HILT.
How HILT Differs from Traditional Cardio Workouts
HILT differs from traditional cardio workouts in intensity. Conventional cardio workouts like a morning jog, or running on a treadmill elevate your heart rate to 50% to 60% of your maximum heart. Cardio workouts turn challenging when you adopt the HILT approach. Here you do an exercise routine aggressively for a few seconds to a few minutes so that your heart rate increases to 80 to 90% of your maximum heart rate followed by a brief pause of an equal amount of time of your working time. In traditional cardio workouts, consistent speed of a workout is necessary, not intensity. In HILT, you deliberately exert extra pressure on yourself where the intensity of the routine is key.
How to choose the right HIIT exercise for you
With the increasing popularity of HIIT, many gyms offer different versions of this exercise. Since you are the main stakeholder in the exercise, you need to choose the right HIIT for you. The first aspect you need to consider while selecting a version of HIIT exercise is what is your fitness goal. Is it burning your fat and calories? Achieving this goal requires adopting high-intensity HIIT so that your heart rate increases to 80 to 95% of your MHR. If improving your cardiovascular endurance is your goal, moderate to high-intense HIILT which results in 70% to 90% of your MHR is necessary. Finally, achieving power, and speed is challenging. So is the intensity of HIIT that must result in 90% of MHR.
Beginner HIIT Workout
The intense nature of HIIT makes it a challenging exercise for beginners.HIIT exercise once a week is a good starting point for newbies. They could do this exercise as a separate session or do HIIT at the end of another routine workout. Once they are habituated to the intensity of HIIT, they need to increase the frequency of the exercise to two or three per week, not more than three. Exceeding the maximum HIIT frequency of three per week for beginners makes them vulnerable to injuries.
HIIT is not appropriate, and discouraged for people with cardiovascular diseases, recovering from an injury, and experiencing vertigo regularly. Pregnant women need consultation before embarking on HIIT.
The standard HIIT exercise session comprised several rounds of intense body movements. After the end of an intense body movement round say for 5 seconds, 4 or 5 seconds of rest is allowed to catch breath. Beginner HIIT exercising people need to shorten rest interval time or slow down body movements at the end of a session. One month after the start of HIIT, if you observe improvements in your workout, cut down rest time further.
No equipment or special place is required to perform HIIT. You can do this exercise at home, gym, or in a group class. For beginners equipment like a treadmill, a rowing machine, or a bike is quite useful to get introduced to the exercise.
To label a cardio workout HIIT means increasing your body’s maximum heart rate to over 80%- a situation when you barely talk. For beginners, this requirement appears to be daunting. Sure, this is a challenge, and that is what HIIT is meant for. However, when beginners finish a HIIT session, feeling is rewarding, and a sense of accomplishment.
A simple HIIT workout For Beginner
A simple cardio-focused HIIT workout like running on a treadmill would be perfect for beginners. After the initial warm-up, start sprinting on a treadmill.
Proper Nutrition and Hydration for optimal performance
HIIT cardio workout program demands so much energy from the body. A well-balanced nutritional diet is a must to keep the body to sustain the grunt of HIIT and reap maximum health benefits from the exercise. A nutritional diet includes a variety of healthful ingredients like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. The diet must also include macronutrients like carbohydrates to fuel the body, and stores energy for workouts. Drinking plenty of water to keep your body hydrated during and after the workout is also essential.
Conclusion
HIIT workouts are intimidating and daunting to people who dislike to step out of their comfort zone. We concede that HIIT is not a one-size-fits-all exercise solution to fitness at all levels. However, this adrenaline-pumping exercise is adjustable and can be designed to be practiced by anybody from new fitness enthusiasts to gym veterans.
